Levi Froese and Matt Thompson weren’t too sure what to expect when they committed themselves to participating in the longest paddling race in the world.
At the end of June, after just six training sessions, the two Kimberley locals set out on a 750 kilometre paddle from Whitehorse to Dawson City as part of the Yukon River Quest. Paddling all night and day, with only two breaks, the 61 hour race would test them both physically and mentally.
The two Kimberley friends decided in November of last year to take on the challenge.
“I’d never heard of the race before. Matt messaged me and asked me if I wanted to do it and I said I would think about it. That’s the thing with adventure, it doesn’t leave you alone. I couldn’t stop thinking about it so we said let’s do it,” explained Froese.
Their training consisted of six different paddling trips, on lakes and rivers, some of which were over nighters.
“We went from Canal Flats to the border, that was the best,” said Thompson of the 160km paddle. “We completed it in 20 hours. It was really spectacular.”
He adds that the best part of all their paddling experiences was in the quiet hours of the night between 10p.m. and 3a.m..
“The smells, the sights, the river is really magical late at night,” said Thompson.
One of the most challenging training trips however, says Thompson, was Kootenay Lake.
“It was our first time paddling through the night, for 24 hours straight, and it actually got dark,” explained Thompson.
Even years of training might not prepare them for the voyage from Whitehorse to Dawson City, however. 750 kilometres, 51 hours of padding, with a mandatory seven hour break and another three hour break.
“Sleeping was a challenge,” said Froese. “Sleeping on the mandatory breaks was hard, but then also not sleeping during those long stretches of paddling was tough. Eating was the same struggle; trying to get the proper rest and keeping our energy levels up.”
Thompson added that there were also challenges in the weather.
“At one point there was a torrential downpour, we were absolutely soaking wet,” he said. “When you’re on a boat, you’re always going to find a head wind.”
“Although, all things considered the weather could have been a lot worse,” added Froese. “We ran into worse weather during our training for sure.”
Paddling through different sections of current would also prove to be a learning experience.
“Finding the current was a challenge. During the last stretch of the river it’s about a kilometre wide and there’s a bunch of islands to navigate through, so that was definitely interesting,” said Thompson.
In terms of the competition, Thompson and Froese placed 16th out of over 100 teams, and fourth in their category. All in all, they say, it was about the adventure.
“The race was a lot more competitive than we thought it was going to be,” said Froese.
“There were a lot of experienced paddlers and great paddlers, really they were all levels. But for us two it was less about the race and more about the adventure.”
Thompson says there were teams from all over the world including New Zealand, Germany, and South Africa.
“Everyone ahead of us were proper racers, they were experienced. We quickly realized that we were driving a bathtub with two pool noodles,” Thompson said of their boat.
“There is an art, a real technique to paddling. There’s a science around the whole thing, the paddling, the nutrition, the health. We’re not scientists,” laughed Froese. “Plus we had a really technical plan; just give’r and see how it goes.”
That being said, the two weren’t ill prepared. They say they had more ‘stuff’ than any of the other competitors.
“We could have kept paddling if we wanted to,” said Thompson.
Not to mention the help of their teammate, Froese’s wife Ellie Rubicam.
“She really supported us. We would have been even more miserable if she wasn’t there,” said Froese. “She got everything prepped for us. She met us at the rest stop and had our tent set up, food made. She dried out all our wet gear and she saw us off. She gave us a place to stay, she was an incredible support.”
Racers are encouraged to have a support member to help them at the rest points.
“It was huge. We were so lucky to have her and it was so important for our sleep and nutrition,” said Thompson.
During their trip and their training they saw moose, bears, heron, otter, beavers, a coyote, owls, and foxes, but of all the things they saw over the 61 hours, Froese says the most memorable moment was being serenaded through the night.
“At the opening ceremony there was a first nations gentleman who sang to us and said a prayer, that was beautiful,” he said. “But later on, way down the river he had climbed this massive hillside, he was up super high. He was singing and drumming to all the paddlers, it was so powerful and so cool.”
Thompson agreed, “they say late at night when you’re sleep deprived you can experience hallucinations. I hadn’t really thought about it until then. The full moon and the rocks, the river, the trees, they come alive. To see that and have the drumming from the top of the hill was spectacular.”
Their one piece of advice for anyone wanting to face the challenge?
“Go look for good advice. Talk to someone who has done it before,” said Froese. “Or don’t. We didn’t. Do the race as an experience. But if you want to do well, do as much research as you can.”
“We learned more on the river, doing the training and the race, than we might have if we had done more research,” echoed Thompson. “Oh, and don’t eat out at a Mexican restaurant the night before you go.”
When asked if they are still friends after the trip, Froese said absolutely.
“I think for a lot of the other teams it could be a huge reality check. You’re so sleep deprived and tired that emotionally and physically you might not be where you want to be,” he said. “Our attitudes are just so different. We were just goofing around.”
“I just heard Levi’s voice behind me, and he had to stare at the back of my head. We didn’t have to look at each other,” joked Thompson. “To quote the Wind and the Willows, there’s nothing better than messing around in boats.”
